Page 122 - Politics
Posters asking Sidhu to quit politics seen in Ludhiana
Posters asking for Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu to keep his promise of quitting politics were seen here on Saturday.Sidhu at the time of campaigning for Lok Sabha elections had promised that he would quit politics if his party president Rahul Gandhi lost from Amethi Lok Sabha seat where he was contesting against BJP's Smriti Irani.The posters were put up in Pakhowal road.The posters with a picture of Sidhu and captioned read, "When are you quitting politics? Time to keep your words. We are waiting for your resignation."The posters carried Sidhu's promise, "I will quit politics if Rahul Gandhi loses from Amethi," the Congress leader had in one of his campaign rallies.On Friday, similar posters also surfaced in Mohali.In one of the biggest upsets in this year's Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had lost from Amethi parliamentary constituency by 55,120 votes to BJP's Smriti Irani. The seat was considered a stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family.Recently, Punjab ...
Johnson 'row' blows UK leadership race open grassroots campaign begins
Britain's leadership contest was blown open on Saturday by reports that police were called to a "row" between frontrunner Boris Johnson and his partner, hours before campaigning was to begin to win over grassroots Conservatives. The Guardian reported that officers were alerted early on Friday after a neighbour said there had been a loud altercation involving screams, shouts and bangs at the south London property, shortly after Johnson had secured his place in the final run-off to become prime minister. The paper said late Friday Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds could be heard telling the former London mayor to "get off me" and "get out of my flat". London's Metropolitan Police said it responded to a call from a local resident but that "all occupants of the address... were all safe and well". Johnson is the runaway favourite to beat Jeremy Hunt, but will face questions over the incident on Saturday when he and Hunt kick a month-long nationwide tour to win over the grassroots ...
Pak reiterates resolve to support efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan
Pakistan on Saturday reiterated its resolve to support efforts to bring peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and clarified that the country was not looking for "strategic depth" in the neighbouring country. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the comments during the inaugural session of a conference- Lahore Process- on Afghan peace held at Murree near here. Let this be absolutely clear. No one in Pakistan subscribes to any notion of so-called strategic depth' in Afghanistan. We must not let anyone resurrect this dead horse to advance their propagandistic aims or seek to sow the seeds of misunderstanding between us and our Afghan brethren, he said. The idea of strategic depth was mooted by some experts that influence over Kabul will give Islamabad an edge in case of a war with India. The US has in the past indicated that it plans to give a role to India in Afghanistan, whereas Pakistan's stance over the years was quite clear that India had no role to play in ...
UN calls for dialogue in Venezuela
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called upon Venezuelan government and the opposition to put aside their deep political differences and commit to a dialogue aimed at ending the month-long political crisis in the South American nation."I have appealed to all political leaders to engage constructively with the talks facilitated by Norway and other such efforts to address the current political situation in Venezuela," Bachelet said."The fate of more than 30 million Venezuelans rests upon the leadership's willingness and ability to put the human rights of the people ahead of any personal, ideological or political ambitions."I understand the scepticism in Venezuela about the possibility of any such talks succeeding but the dire situation here demands of its leadership the resolve to try," she added.Her comments came at the end of a three-day visit to the country on the invitation of embattled President Nicolas Maduro, who has faced allegations of ...
Pak supports an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself, neighbours
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan is resolute towards finding a peaceful solution to the almost 19-years long Afghan war as "Pakistan supports an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself.""Pakistan's perspective on Afghanistan is clear -- we support an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself, and at peace with its neighbours," Qureshi said.He made these remarks while addressing the inaugural session of a conference on Afghan peace titled 'Lahore Process' -- to discuss different aspects of the Afghan peace process, which include bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan through connectivity, trade, economy, and health-- held at Bhurban, Dawn reported."We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our neighbour and remain firmly committed to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. We are determined to build our bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect, and common interest," Qureshi .
ACB conducts surprise check in J-K's Kishtwar
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Saturday conducted a surprise check at the office of the Executive Engineer of the Hydraulic Division in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The search was conducted on the basis of a complaint alleging that higher charges were applied for transport of material as compared to the prevalent government rates, a spokesperson of the ACB said. He said it has also been alleged that the department has not embedded the water pipes according to the specification of the pipes which have been sanctioned as per the tender or Detailed Project Report under water supply scheme 'Naigad to Kishtwar'. "After completion of the scrutiny of record, further course of action into the matter shall be taken accordingly," the spokesperson said.
TN: DMK holds statewide protest over water scarcity issue
Carrying empty plastic pots in their hands, workers of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday held statewide protest in Tamil Nadu against the state government over the water scarcity issue.Led by former Chennai Mayor M Subramanian, DMK cadres also protested in the Jafferkhanpet area in the city."What was this government doing all these days when such big problem had arisen? Yesterday, the Chief Minister spoke about bringing water to the city. Why was this not done earlier? The measures he announced yesterday, all of them should have been done in the earlier stages," Subramanian told ANI here.He added, "Now after the crisis has blown up, this only shows unpreparedness of this government. And now on the top of that, the government is organizing 'Yagya' prayers for rain. How this is valid?"The locals too have expressed anger towards the state government."This is no regular supply of water to this area. We are suffering a lot because of the water crisis. Water comes once in four
We expect Pak to take all necessary steps by Sept to curb terror financing, India on FATF warning
India on Saturday urged Pakistan to take all necessary steps to implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plan by September, a day after the global watchdog warned Pakistan to "swiftly" complete its action plan to curb terror financing by October or face consequences."The FATF has decided to continue to keep Pakistan on its compliance document (i.e. Grey List) for the ICRG monitoring for its failure to complete the action plan items due in January and May 2019," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said today.The warning was made in a statement issued by the financial watchdog following a plenary meeting in Orlando held from June 16 to 21."We expect Pakistan to take all necessary steps to effectively implement the FATF Action Plan fully within the remaining time frame i.e. by September 2019 in accordance with its political commitment to the FATF and take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustainable measures to address global concerns related to terrorism and terrorist ..
Justice R S Chauhan sworn in as Telangana HC chief justice
Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office to Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan as the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court at a function held at the Raj Bhavan here on Saturday. Chief Minister of the state K Chandrashekar Rao, legislative assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, state ministers and officials were present on the occasion. Justice R S Chauhan was earlier the acting Chief Justice.
Three-member BJP delegation visits trouble-torn Bhatpara
A three-member BJP delegation, led by former Union minister S S Ahluwalia, arrived at trouble-torn Bhatpara on Saturday, where two people were killed and seven injured in clashes between two groups believed to be affiliated to the TMC and the saffron party. The BJP central leadership had asked the team led by Ahluwalia, an MP from West Bengal, to visit Bhatpara in North 24 Pargana district. He is accompanied by MPs Satya Pal Singh and B D Ram, besides other state leaders. Singh and Ram are former police officers and MPs from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively. Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh is also accompanying them. The delegation will meet family members of the deceased and talk to the locals. It will submit a report to party president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Two people had died and seven others injured in clashes in Bhatpara between the groups suspected to be attached to TMC and BJP on Thursday. Section 144 has been imposed by the administration in the wake of the ...
Priyanka asks UP workers to improve connect with people, reach out to them socially
New Delhi [India], Jun 22 (ANI): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has asked youth Congress workers in Uttar Pradesh to improve their social connect with people by identifying their problems and reaching out to solve them.Priyanka Gandhi, who is in-charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, met senior youth Congress leaders to get feedback about ways the party can improve its connection with people after party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections.Sources said Priyanka Gandhi told the leaders that staying connected with the masses socially would yield political dividends and they should reach out to people and help them in sorting problems such as those related power tariff or hospitalisation of a relative.She said party workers should look out for issues people are facing and to help them in solving them and noted that she is willing to participate in constructive work if the situation so demands.She said that while political activities such as protests have their own .
Manila says ex-FM may have been denied Hong Kong entry over passport
The Philippines said Saturday its former foreign minister may have been denied entry into Hong Kong over his diplomatic passport, shying away from speculation he was barred for being a staunch China critic. Hong Kong, which has been rocked by massive anti-Beijing protests in recent weeks, on Friday turned away Albert del Rosario, who has spearheaded legal moves against the Chinese government's bullish behaviour in the South China Sea. Del Rosario, who served as foreign secretary from 2011 to 2016, tried to enter on a diplomatic passport before being held for more than three hours and put back on a plane. His lawyer said authorities gave no reason for denying him entry. But a Philippines' government spokesperson said there "might have been a problem with the use" of the passport. "If you use a diplomatic passport it has to be an official engagement between the Philippines government and the country that you're entering," Martin Andanar told reporters Saturday on the sidelines of a ...
North Korea reminds China of colonial history to strengthen ties
Pyongyang's relationship with Beijing is "invincible" because the countries both endured Japanese rule, North Korea said Saturday, the day after the Chinese President's highly symbolic visit ended. The commentary, in official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun, comes shortly before the G20 summit in Japan where US President Donald Trump will meet with China's Xi Jinping. With Beijing and Washington at loggerheads over trade, China is keen to remind Trump of its influence with nuclear-armed Pyongyang, while increasingly looking to Japan -- a key US ally in the region -- to serve as a hedge against growing American protectionism. Relations between Tokyo, Beijing, and both Koreas are still heavily affected by Japan's expansionism in the first half of the 20th century, with Pyongyang's state media criticising Japan on a near-daily basis. Saturday's Rodong Sinmun dedicated five pages to the second day of Xi's visit to Pyongyang, and carried a separate editorial stating how the "sacred ...
Goa CM, Smriti Irani visit Amethi
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union minister Smriti Irani visited Amethi's Barolia village on Saturday to meet family members of BJP worker Surendra Singh, who was killed recently. Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had adopted Barolia in 2015 as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. "We are saddened at the death of Singh. He was a devoted party worker and the party stands with his family," Sawant told reporters after meeting the family. "Manohar Parrikar had adopted this village. If UP government wants, we will work on education, health, roads, water and other problems in this village in his (Parrikar's) memory," the Goa Chief Minister said. Former village head Surendra Singh was killed on May 25. Sawant was accompanied by Irani, who is on her first planned visit to her constituency after defeating Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Venezuela should release jailed opponents: UN rights chief
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Venezuela to release jailed dissidents Friday and said the crisis-wracked country faced a "serious" humanitarian situation. Her comments came at the end of a three-day visit to the country on the invitation of embattled President Nicolas Maduro, who has faced allegations of cracking down on political opponents amid rampant hyperinflation and shortages of basic goods. "I call on the authorities to release all those who are detained or deprived of their liberty for exercising their civil rights in a peaceful manner," said Bachelet, referring to the hundreds of Maduro government opponents who are currently incarcerated. The UN rights chief met relatives of these detainees, many of whom are accused of "conspiracy" to overthrow the government. She also spoke with relatives of people who died during the anti-Maduro protests of 2017. Rights groups had pushed Bachelet to raise the issue of 715 people they say have been jailed ..
AP govt transfers 32 IAS officers
The Andhra Pradesh government transferred as many as 32 IAS officers and gave postings to seven others, in a bureaucratic reshuffle. The transfer orders were issued Friday midnight. Three senior IAS officers including a Special Chief Secretary, who served in the previous Chief Minister's Office, have not been given any postings yet, though they were transferred out three weeks ago. Two junior IAS officers of 2015 batch, V Vinod Kumar and C M Saikanth Varma, got elevated to the rank of Joint Collector and posted as Project Officers of Integrated Tribal Development Agencies at Parvathipuram and Seethampet respectively. Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam issued a government order notifying the transfers and postings. Budithi Rajsekhar (1992 batch) has been moved out yet again after the government issued orders earlier transferring him from the Agriculture Department but subsequently cancelling them. He has now been made Principal Secretary of School Education. B Udayalaxmi ...
Iran oil imports, trade top agenda during US Secy Mike Pompeo's India visit
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his India visit next week will attempt to soothe increasing friction with New Delhi over trade, data flow, arms from Russia and Iran oil imports and focus on strategic ties between the two big world democracies, a senior official from the US State Department said on Friday."While in New Delhi, Secretary Pompeo is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who's really one of the visionaries behind the expansion of the US-India Strategic Partnership," the senior official added.Pompeo will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday for talks that are aimed at laying the ground for an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi later in the week at a G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan.He will also engage in talks with Jaishankar specifically about expanding security, energy, and space cooperation, among other things. The Secretary is further scheduled to meet Indian business leaders to discuss
FATF decides to keep Pak in 'Grey' list
The international terror financing watchdog FATF has decided to keep Pakistan on its 'Grey' list for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups LeT, JeM and others and has given a September deadline to compile with its 27-point action plan, sources here said. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which concluded its week-long meeting in Florida in the US, also asked Pakistan to take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustainable measures to address global concerns related to terrorism and terrorist financing emanating from the territory under its control. "The FATF has decided to continue to keep Pakistan on its compliance document (i.e. Grey List) for its International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) for its failure to complete the action plan items due in January and May 2019," an FATF spokesperson said in a statement. The FATF continuing Pakistan in the 'Grey' list means its downgrading by IMF, World Bank, ADB, EU and also a reduction in risk rating by Moody's, ...
Office of religious freedom to be elevated: Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced the elevation of the Offices of International Religious Freedom and the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism within the State Department, saying that the American President Donald Trump has promoted religious freedom like never before in America's foreign policy agenda. He said that international religious freedom is a top priority for the Trump administration. The Trump Administration has promoted religious freedom like never before in our foreign policy agenda. Given our own great freedoms, it's a distinctly American responsibility to stand up for faith in every nation's public square, Pompeo said in his remarks at the release of the 2018 annual report on International Religious Freedom. He announced the elevation of the Office of International Religious Freedom along with the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism within the State Department. Effective immediately, each of these two offices will ..
Encounter underway in J-K's Baramulla district
An encounter is currently underway between terrorists and security forces in Boniyar area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.Further details are currently awaited.This comes after the body of a terrorist was recovered by security forces after an encounter took place on June 11 in Bomai area of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.The encounter broke out between terrorists and the troops of 177, 179 and 92 Battalion of CRPF, SOG Sopore, 22 Rashtriya Rifles (RR).